What do you get when you take a former Executive Chef and Sous Chef and ask them what they like to eat at home? You get insanely delicious recipes like these Carne Asada Tater Totchos and, the first recipe video from our Off the Line series where Spiceology’s very own chefs Justin and Adam will be making even more memorable meals.
But don’t worry, while these recipes taste gourmet, they’re simple enough for any home chef to tackle. Ready to dig in?
Carne Asada Tater Totchos
Ingredients:
Tots
- 1 bag frozen tater tots
- Spiceology Achiote Blend to taste
Carne Asada
- 1-1.5Â pounds skirt or flank steak
- 2Â tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 lime
- 2 tablespoon Spiceology Achiote Blend
- 2 tablespoon Spiceology Adobo Latin Blend
- 1 tablespoon Spiceology Flaked Sea Salt
Queso
- ¼ cup vegetable oil (or substitute butter)
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1 teaspoon Spiceology Achiote Blend
- 12 slices American cheese
- 8 slices or ½ lb shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- ½ cup your favorite tomato-based salsa
Garnish
- 1 bunch green onion, chopped
- 1 cup Mexican style sour cream (Crema) or sour cream
Instructions:
- Add all of the Carne Asada ingredients together in a bowl and mix well. Add beef to the bowl, massaging the marinade into the meat evenly. Cover and let marinate for at least 30 minutes, no more than two hours.
- Using a grill, non-stick pan, griddle or broiler, grill your steak on high for about five minutes on each side for medium-rare. Remove from heat and rest until you are ready to slice and plate.
- Season frozen tater tots with achiote blend to your liking. Then, cook according to the package instructions. These should take around 20-25 minutes in your oven.
- While the tater tots are cooking, prepare your queso. Make sure you don’t walk away while cooking. Trust us, you’ll be glad you did when you taste the cheesy goodness.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the oil (or butter). Add flour and whisk until smooth, continue whisking for approximately one minute to cook the starch out. Be careful not to burn or brown. If you do, you’ll have to start over.
- Add the milk slowly, whisking constantly and bring to a low boil.
- Turn the heat down to the lowest possible setting and add the cheese one slice at a time, whisking constantly to fully incorporate.
- Once complete, remove from the heat and whisk in Spiceology Achiote and salsa. You now have homemade queso!
To plate
- Slice the steak across the grain.
- Grab a platter and add your tot layer.
- Pour on the queso.
- Layer on the steak.
- Finish with Mexican sour cream (or sour cream) and green onions. Feel free to add an assortment of garnishes. Try jalapeños, salsa, olives, cilantro or any other favorite nacho topper. ENJOY!
